Dark Knight
by HopeAtDawn
Summary: Riku is now a Keyblade Master and acquired new responsabilities but he still is not able to forgive himself for what he has done in the past but he will have to completely accept his inner darkness to face powerful and mean enemies. Phoenix and even worse...himself. Post KH:DDD. No pairing. It has OCs.
1. The Preparations

Chapter I: The Preparations

Master Riku and his temporarily apprentices, something that Riku hadn't believed yet, the Princess Of Heart Kairi and the new found ally Lea are training at Twilight Town, Riku is dueling with them, Kairi have perfect control over her Keyblade, Destiny's Embrace but that doesn't mean she are the best fighter he has ever seen, she's just good enough to beat Heartless and take care of herself, her real affinity is with magic, mainly the ones based on her power of Light.

Lea due to his experience on fighting is a very skilled fighter but he is really getting total control over his Keyblade, Flurry Of Dancing Flames, he is even able to something that Riku have never seen anyone else do it, the red-haired man can transform Keyblade which is stylized as flames into a whip of real flames and the handle stylized as his former weapons his Chakram actually is his Chakram and obviously his magic affinity is Fire.

Riku was a little different, now he just wears the black shirt with the zipper in the middle that he always wore underneath his yellow and white jacket, had a short haircut and his already known blue jeans and grey, yellow and white sneakers, and also his wristband at his left wrist.

Kairi was wearing her usual clothes: her pink dress full of vertical zippers and a white T-shirt underneath and her white and purple sneakers.

Lea was wearing a white sleeveless shirt underneath an also sleeveless orange jacket, using a yellow and brown keffiyeh around his neck and a wristband full of yellow flames and wears black socks and white and red sneakers. As another change of look had a shorter haircut which made his hair become very spiked. Had crescent moon like tattoo under his wristband, which Riku and Kairi already discussed but never got to a deal.

They were at Sandlot, Riku was having bad news with that two because they were really tough together, Lea was charging at him causing a line of fire behind him, so when they were about to clash, Lea turns to the right almost making his master to burn his arm, so Riku shots a barrage of Dark Firaga at Lea, which he is able to evade all of them and finish what he was trying to do, surround Riku, then Riku started to look for a exit, but he wasn't able to spot any escape.

Then at nowhere Lea appeared like a jet and almost slashed the teenager and at the same time guided light missiles charge their way to the boy but he shield himself in time.

After some other tries of the same strategy, Lea flies to Riku but before anything he reveals that he was holding Kairi, he throws the girl at Riku and jumps to the sky and shots a Fire Salvo at them, the girls stops spinning when clashes with a just summoned Keyblade, Way To Dawn, the salvo of fire get to them and Kairi cartwheel back leaving Riku to cut the all the fire shots one by one without getting hit.

Then when he looks around, there is no one, but that was just for half of a second, when he notices Lea charging to him when he is getting ready to duel, a blast of light comes at his direction too from the opposite side of Lea.

Riku get shocked when he finds out that blast of light is Kairi, so he charges his Keyblade until it takes a form of a giant sword, that was his Limit called Session and a command named XIII Sword which is based of other multiple light swords of light cut at the same slash.

So when Keyblade Bearers get near he makes a Round Blitz which send Lea flying back, cut the flames and clash with, instead of a flower stylized Keyblade, a light barrier that cracks when slashed but makes appears many floating light sphere that explodes, damaging Riku and extinguish the flames marking in the floor the circle that the flames created.

When Lea is able to sit and Riku barely stand up, some claps are listened so Kairi look all over and is not able to see anyone, so Kairi heals Riku and go to Lea to see if he needed it, but he don't even look to her, so she and Riku tries to figure out to where he is looking, when she stops at the middle of her way, they see now from where the claps were.

At the top of a building, a black coated man was clapping, his hood was down and they could see how he looked like, had a long blue hair, an X-like scar at the middle of his face, and had pointed ear and yellow eyes, which was the "mark" of Xehanort. The three summons their Keblades back but the man doesn't react, just say:

-Long time no see, Lea. Oh, where are my education? I missed you too little princess and also you, traitor.

-YOU FREAK! LOOK WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO YOURSELF, ISA! - Lea yells.

- Isa? Lea, that's Saix, number VII from the Organization, the one who got me at that freaking cell.

-I'm so flattered that all of you got memorized me, don't you agree, Lea?

- Shut up, you are just a little stupid puppet of Xehanort now; there is nothing else to be remembered. I don't even know you anymore. –Lea yells and jumps to the man in black but Riku intervenes.

-Lea, don't lose your mind, as you said he is just a little puppet from Xehanort now, he is just taunting you, probably is just a trap – So he turns to Saix or Isa, he didn't know, the only thing that really mattered was that they had to go through it – What you want, Saix?

-Oh I just wanted to pay a visit to see how our new Keyblade Master, our Princess and our friend (giving a disgusted glare to Lea, while pronouncing this word) were doing. And it looks like all is going better than ever.

-Okay, we're going well, now, LEAVE! IF DON'T WANT TO FEEL HOW WE ARE DOING GOOD! – Kairi said angrily because he was really making her new friend suffer.

-Oh sorry, I didn't know the little princess was not anymore that stupid girl that only knew how to get in trouble and in the end be saved but now I really think that it's time to I get into my way- he summoned a Dark Corridor- Ok then, bye my dear friends- and he went away.

The two friends immediately look to Lea, he just take a deep breath and says:

-Let's go have some ice cream- He said trying to look excited with the idea, but making he look even worse

No one refused so they bought their sea-salty ice cream and went to the Clock Tower.

Yen Sid is with Master King Mickey at his room talking about their plans when the old sorcerer listens to the magical train arriving

-I just can't believe that fellows are getting skilled so fast, don'tchya think, master? – Mickey asked

-Oh, it is really unbelievable their progress, but it is these unbelievable things or some miracle to help us fight that bastard. Riku is really good even with his inner conflict at all he does, he is there whenever some friend need him.

-But master, we need more people to fight the Seekers of Darkness, don't we need? We have me, Sora, Riku, Kairi and Lea, we need two more but Master Xehanort mentioned my three missing friends; Aqua, Terra and Ventus. We already gotcha an idea where Aqua and Ventus are, so must I take that Terra is the Light with him?

-I would not be so sure, because with that incarnation of evilness around, I would not be sure of anything. And do not count Kairi on it.

-But Master Yen Sid, didn'tchya …?

-No, my old friend, I took her to train to her be able to defend herself and the other Princesses Of Heart, but she is not one of our Guardians Of Light, besides the fact that she is one of the lights to be guarded.

-Master, I…

-Mickey, whoever is the one who landed on this place by the train is not a friend; I feel such terrible darkness and an even bigger power coming from one of the two visitors. Please my friend, go now, and check who they are.

-I'm on it!

Happens a terrible shake at the tower made by the barrier around it being cracked, then a freaking laugh is heard, so Mickey runs downstairs to "welcome" the new "visitors".

There was tense silence between the three friends until the moment Kairi spoke:

-So … Lea, what is the story between you and that guy?

-Kairi … Do I really have to talk about it?

-Hm… I guess so, we're your friends now, right? Don't you trust us?

-Friends, huh…? Even after I capture you to see your Sora fading away into his own fear and pain?

-Lea, why did you do that? Was it order of Xemnas or Saix that you did it? I remember that after you sacrificed yourself to save Sora, Saix tried to keep Kairi at the cell.

-If you really want to know why I did, you won't hear from me what you want it to! I capture you on my own, when I did it I had already left the organization because they wanted me to kill Roxas, my only friend of the world, and the one who could make me feel like I had a heart, even knowing now, that actually I had a heart. But when found out that he had fused with Sora, I planned to take him out there no matter what! So I tried to make Sora's darkness turn him into a Heartless and give me Roxas back.

-And why did you change of idea in the end?

-Because I figured out that Sora made me feel like that too… I shouldn't have told you, but as you wanted, now…-He gets up- I'm leaving…

-Wait Axel… oh Lea, please, where're you going?!

-I know that you hate me now, so I'm sorry, but it was good the time I spent with you two but… bye.

-NO! WE DON'T … -But she didn't had the chance to finish this line because another man in black arrived

-No, no, please, don't go, Axel – The man did an imitation of a girl voice – Oh, please, after all your "icky" jobs, you turned into a little princess, Axel!? How pathetic! –He taunted and then turned to Riku and Kairi –Don't trust him, I'm searching for revenge on the Organization XIII too, we are allies, got it memorized? – When Riku is able to remember whose the voice is is he quickly stands up, followed by Kairi.

-Oh no, at the same day, two people use MY catchphrase, taunt me and think they're going away without anything in exchange, ho ho! You don't get an idea how I wanna crush your face onto the floor, now! Ah, almost forgot, MY NAME IS LEA! Got it memorized!?

-I wanna see you try!

So he summons his Keyblade, as do Riku and Kairi, so they take their battle stance and their enemy summons a blue and white shield named Frozen Pride and "Anti-Sora"s behind him and takes his first step to the battle…

Yen Sid is searching for the power of the stars to know what is happening downstairs and his eyes are shut. So the door is wildly opened by a man in his Organization XIII attire, when Yen Sid feels his powers, he has to put his hands on his head, because his power was too massive.

-Hey, grandpa, how you doing? –Said the boy under the coat.

-Such… a… power. How can it be? –Said the sorcerer and retired Keyblade Master barely able to open his eyes because the headache.

-I really thought you were better than his pathetic old man on the floor in front of me.

-On the floor? –So the sorcerer he stands up – I am not seeing any old man on the floor. – Said it gravely.

-Oh, no? Don't worry grandpa, I can provide it to you.

With a invisible source a power, the boy without moving any muscle strike down the more powerful sorcerer of the worlds and leader of the Guardians Of Light, who were just about to use Thunder against the new villain.

-I sense that … - The boy say ironically imitating the pose that Yen Sid does when trying to contact the stars- This is going to be interesting- And he holds his Keyblade(a red and black Keyblade called No Hope) high and make it comes down to Yen Sid…


	2. The War Begins

Chapter II: The War Begins

Riku takes the front of the battle to protect his apprentices, but the coated man just send him flying to the ground, so Lea jumps after him, leaving Kairi alone with the man and the Anti Soras and grabs his master as Kairi fights carefully the monsters as she takes care to not fall. So she jumps back to shot something on the man, when Lea appears with Riku using his whip transformation of his Keyblade to come back to tower edge and slashes the man, who shield himself in time but loses an Anti Sora to Riku's Keyblade.

So he commands his Anti Soras to jump on Riku and grabs Lea's neck and shows a snow flake in his hand, but the flake starts to emanate darkness, which constantly grow and starts to swallow the man in black and Lea, but Kairi pushes Lea and is caught in his place by the darkness.

When he is able to use Stun Impact and see what is happening, he just look to the ground and simply and weakly says Kairi's name, just thinking that calling her would make her come back, he just can't imagine telling Sora and Yen Sid that he failed as master and as friend, but even with the pain of impotence, they had a battle to deal with.

So he calls his inner darkness and releases his Limit Break: Darkstrom and just jump from the edge of the tower and starts to slash the Heatless like replica of his friend as that could bring his dear friend back, Lea was fighting the creature up there, when he is knock down to the floor but with his power stronger thanks his darkness, he cast a expanded Gravity spells, which makes the tower as the magnet pole and pull all to it.

The Keyblade Master and his apprentice with their Limit Break active, Darkstrom and Explosion, fight all the freaks, Riku flying with his Dark Aura and Helm Split and Lea combining Keyblade hits with fire explosions.

An Anti Sora stands up, absolves the remains of the other ones and summons a dark version of Kingdom Key. And goes to collide with Lea and they duel to knock the Keyblade of the other one out, and who wins is Anti Sora, but Riku jumps in front of a vulnerable Lea and takes the damage meant to his apprentice. Screaming of pain and eventually falling to the ground.

Lea take Riku, jumps back and shots a Mega Flare on the dark creature, who using its Keyblade, defends and redirect the to the sky. But that was already expected by Lea and he raises his hand and bring down, revealing the fireball to be a Firaga Burst and all the shots get to their target.

When the smoke clear and a Dark Volley attack come to Lea but Riku arrives and cast a Light Shield in front of him. Riku then jumps to the sky and prepares a movement he saw Sora using and yells to Lea:

-Lea, protects me until I finish here.

-Got it! – And he clash with the replica and combining his Explosion power send it flying. While the replica is in the air, he shots a Flame Salvo and when it hits the target, using his Fire Jet charges to back of the Anti-Sora, which was down, and when he is between its back and the floor he jumps and swipe his enemy, making it fly to sky so Lea use his whip of fire and bring Anti Sora to the floor.

-Thanks Lea, now make it unable to move to I be able to hit it.- So Lea transform the handle into his Chakram, Eternal Flame, and throws at Anti Sora, who with the Keyblade tries to slow down the Chakram, so Riku finally shots his purple version of Ragnarok, but how he never tried before, the light missiles wasn't guided, it was able just to fly straight to the target, but as the target was a little busy with the Chakram, it was hit and finally destroyed.

When they just sit down to the edge of the tower, they try to deeply breath, but seem like they forgot how to do it. When they look down to the place in front of Station Plaza, they notice a vortex of darkness and ice and from there appear Kairi a little hurt on her left arm and Vexen in his knees on the floor.

-KAIRI! – They scream happily together and jumps to where she is as Riku cast a Zero Gravity spell on them to make their fall slow down.

-Oh, you two seem like had some tough when I was fighting Neve. – Kairi says casually trying to make her friend to not worry about her and her wound, so she casts Cure on them.

-Kairi, I feel happy to see you're alright but the name of this man is Vexen not Neve. – Riku said curiously.

-But who said, my name is Vexen, my name is Neve, and I'm the only thing that bastard did of good on his experiments. I'm his replica. – And he takes his hair off, revealing a number 44 on his forehead. – I think I proved my theory. – He summons his Corridor of Darkness and leaves.

-I think we must go to Yen Sid to tell what just happened. Let's wait for the train comes back.

When the boy's Keyblade was about to hit Yen Sid, he summons his former Keyblade Star Seeker, defending himself. So he pushes the boy back and gets up.

-I was not expecting that I would need to use this weapon ever again, but you give no other choice.

-Oh, I must be careful; the old man was able to get up! Okay, grandpa, show me what you got! – He cuts the air with the Keyblade, sending fire barrages on the sorcerer, who was able to reflect all the hits.

So the boy starts to move crazily his Keyblade, every movement created gusts of fire, which even Yen Sid defended all, it made him feel exhausted.

-Already taken to your limit, grandpa? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! – Laughed crazily. So he stepped forth to clash with the retired Keyblade Master, who was able to shield most of the attacks.

-Clash with you is a stupid choice, so I think I have to take a little distance. – He raised his Keyblade and his hand and they were teleported to emptiness full of light shades representing stars. They were floating; the boy felt like he finally angered the sorcerer – Okay, now you will not destroy anything and if you defeat me, you will not be able to get away from here.

-So I see that you are already used to the idea of be defeated by me. This makes me flattered! – He said summoning back his Keyblade and created a pulsing barrier of telekinesis.

He disappears and instantly teleport in front of Yen Sid and raises him with slash in the face. And appears where he was before. Then Yen Sid recover from the hit and charges a Thunder spell and hit the lightning rays on the man, who defends with the Keyblade, pull it all together and send back to Yen Sid as a Thunder Shot that Yen Sid is able to explode before gets to him.

-Oh, where are my formalities? My name is Phoenix. – The boy under the coat said. – I think it's time to end this child's play.

-Phoenix…!? NO!? It cannot be…! – The wise man says and Phoenix keeps his eyes on Yen Sid's, his eyes shine as flames and make Yen Sid feel extreme headache, a pain that seemed like would make his head explode then all the stars start to rotate and become many spots of light running around then all stopped and went to Yen Sid's head.

They were back to the Mysterious Tower, the wall behind Yen Sid desk was destroyed as before they went to fight. Phoenix was staring the old man on the floor, thinking how pathetic he was. Then he just made his way to the big hole on the wall and looked to the floor.

A Corridor Of Darkness is open, and Phoenix puts his hood down and from there comes a man in a coat identical to the Organization but when he puts his hood down, who he sees is no one from the Organization XIII, but he felt like he knew that man.

He gave a death glare to the blond messed haired boy with orange eyes, who said …:

-Hey Inophe! I was looking to you everywh… What're you doing? – He looked shocked, Phoenix raised his Keyblade to the man and charged a Dark Firaga attack when the train appeared and the door opened.

-What you just called me!?

-Inophe, it's me. Ansem. – When he heard that name Riku ran out from the train, followed by Lea and Kairi. When he looked where the unknown boy wearing the black coat, he summoned his Keyblade but the boy didn't even look to him. When he looked what the boy was staring. His blood got colder.

-WHAT THE … What happened here? – Riku said barely able to finish his phrase.

-Gosh, everyone is okay? – Kairi said with a weak voice.

-What mess just happened here!? – Lea saw the wall up on the Yen Sid's room and the entire tower was damaged.

-Guardians of Light; look what I will do to all you loved ones, my name is Phoenix and I am from the Organization XIII. Hahahahahaha! – He laughed insanely without a real reason – That was a speech worth of Xemnas, wasn't it? Ok then, I see no one here have sense of humor. Bye…- So he left on a Corridor of Darkness.

So Lea turned to the mysterious man as he saw anyone there was able to do it:

-Sooo, who are you?

-My name is Ansem – That made Riku get away from the depths of his confused mind

-You said your name is … Your Majesty! – He cut his line to run to his friend – What happened? … and what happened to you?- The mouse was full of light wounds made by darkness, which would to be naturally cured.

-There's no time, fellows! Yen Sid needs us – He turns to the tower and when he starts to run a great pain hits him like anything he had ever felt in life – Please, leave me here, go check the master.

-No way Mickey, you're going with us – Lea said and took him on his arms to the tower the run upstairs to Yen Sid's room.

When they get there, he is trying to get up and Kairi and Riku help him to get on his feet and sit him down on his chair.

-My friends, the time has come, Master Xehanort made his first moves in a year. The war just begun…


	3. The Beginning of Many Journeys

Chapter III: The Beginning of Many Journeys

All the ones in that room got shocked, so Riku was first one to break the silence:

-Master, first of all, can you help Mickey? He is in pieces.

-Sure, I can, young man. – He raised his hand and cured his former apprentice. – So to me be able to pull all the pieces of this enigma together, I want to hear what happened to each one of you.

-But Master Yen Sid, who is this man? – Kairi asks about the blond man

-My dear apprentice, let's first hear your stories. – So he turns to Riku – Riku, tell us what happened during your training, please.

-How do you …? Oh, the stars… - Lea interrupts and says a little ashamed –Sorry!

-So we were training in combat in Twilight Town, when we finished our duel, Saix… - But he is cut in the middle of the sentence.

-It's Isa, not Saix, got it memorized!? – Lea yells but when everybody stare him, he says again – Sorry…

-So continuing what I was telling, Isa appeared and taunted us and left without a fight, so to "celebrate" a good day of work, we went to have ice cream on the edge of the Clock Tower and a man in a black coat appears, first we thought he was Vexen, but…

-Then he summoned his shield and dark versions of Sora and attacked us, when he tried to swallow me in a dark vortex, Kairi saved me… - In that part everybody turned to Kairi, shocked how courageous she was (even after he kidnapped her in the past) and how she got away from there, so she started:

-Then we were teleported to a dark place where I fought him, he said they had already a person in mind to use as the last vessel and that his name was Neve. So when I defeated him, we were teleported back, when he revealed he was the replica of this Vexen that you called him.

-So we got here and saw an injured Mickey, these two mysterious men and the tower destroyed. But master what happened here? And who…? – Riku asked.

-Calm down, I will explain in the right time. So I and Master Mickey were talking about the possible Guardians of Light and the train arrived with two men in dark coat: Phoenix and…

-Ansem – Mickey said, the name made Riku shut his teeth by the rage that got to him – So I went downstair to duel with them, this Phoenix guy easily knocked me out and kept his way, but I casted Cure on myself and locked me and Ansem and we fought, but I was not a real match to him, but I was able to injure him and he left…

-Then the young man came here and tried to knock me out, I will not say he wanted to kill me, because he had many chances of that but he did not do it. So I teleported us to place, where if he killed me, he would not be able to escape.

-Are ya serious, someone able to play with you…! – Lea exclaimed a little scared.

-SHUT UP, LEA! – Kairi and Riku scremed together for he cut everyone, who tries to talk and for insolence.

-Lea, please, let me finish. – Yen Sid says giving a glare to the apprentice that is now really ashamed. – So after play with me, without even using his hands, he caused me so much pain that made we come back. After he left me almost unconscious, he just turned to you and left. I felt like this young man knew Phoenix from somewhere else, because when Ansem (the boy raise his head to his name, taking him away from his confused thoughts) here called him by the name of Inophe, which made he seem a little confused. – Finishing what he had to say, he turns to the boy in silence until that moment. – I thought I would never see you again, Ansem.

-Um… Sorry? I don't know you. – He said confused.

-But I know you. It was though me that you gained your powers and your Keyblade.

-Wait up, you said Keyblade…? And what powers? – Kairi asked completely lost now.

-Once some years ago, I saved him from Xehanort…

-Hey, you saved me from what!? – Ansem asked.

-Wait until I get to the conclusion, my boy. – So he turns to all the ones there – Many years ago I gave Ansem my power to travel through time and space to him save the ones who needed to be helped. But he was so disgusted and so hopeless, that he thought there was no way to save them. So he spent his life with his studies. It was this way me and even Ansem got known as wise men between many worlds, with the powers of time. So I asked Mickey to say that if anything happened to Ansem, the power would die with him, Mickey was able to convince him to do what I asked even Mickey not knowing anything about it. Ansem went to the timeline of his past himself, gave his younger version his power of time and commanded him to Master Eraqus, the master of Terra, Aqua and Ven to give him the ability to wield the Keyblade and train him to become a Keyblade Master.

-I cannot believe I'll become that old man that went to me that day… - Ansem said looking to the floor lost on his even more confused mind.

-He is a Keyblade Master!? – Lea exclaimed.

-So this is what you wanted him to do… - Mickey said.

-Ansem had the power to travel through time …? – Riku asked.

-So now my friends I will send you to your journeys… I sense Sora just started his journey, becoming the Dream Eater of Ventus just the way Riku did to Sora and is in his way to wake him up.

-Sora!? Is he ok? Is he coming back soon? – Kairi said desperately

-Young lady, I guess he will not come back so soon, but don't worry; he will come back stronger than ever. – So he turns to everyone present – I also sense through the stars that the worlds are at extreme dangerous, and also are the Princess Of Heart, but we have the mission to save our missing friends, that everyone of you except for Ansem, know, Terra, Aqua and Ven, Sora is already making his way to save Ven, Aqua is almost surely at the Realm Of Darkness and Terra, we do not know yet. But the worlds need us now, so, with extreme pain in the heart, I must send you to the worlds first. Aqua is strong she can hold on a little more.

-Master, she can be strong. But … at the Realm of Darkness, she'll need much more than strength…

-Riku, Aqua is a Keyblade Master and she is much more than strength, the only thing we can do now is pray to her until we discover a way to go to that Realm.

-But master, there's no way to go to there, just like Sora and Riku did? – Kairi asked.

-No, Kairi, we cannot open a Door To Light just like that. And that are not pure darkness cannot reach there through Corridors Of Darkness.

-So, what will be our mission, old man? – Ansem said it as Riku looked at him not believing Ansem was that way before and what of so bad happened to him to transform into the man he was before his death.

-I will send each one to different missions, Ansem you will visit some worlds we already know to check how they are doing and will go to Radiant Garden to use your future self studies to figure out how we can go after Aqua. I will create a map to you to the worlds I want you to check.

-Ok, I think I'll be going right now. – He jumps through the hole in the wall, get to the middle of the yard, throw his coat, revealing a dark black jeans, red and black sneakers, with a white T-shirt underneath a closed black jacket with a yellow drawing of a mixture between a heart, a crown and a fleur-de-lis in the right shoulder and a piece of armor in his left shoulder, he also was wearing the scarf at the same way his future self used. – Bye bye!

So he summons his Keyblade, Redemption, it was a light blue and yellow Keyblade, with some blue gems in it and some details of white and yellow wings at the teeth and at the handle. Then he throws to the air and touch the piece of armor in his left shoulder, so his entire body shines as does the Keyblade.

When the light disappears, he is wearing a Keyblade Armor. It's dark grey and red, the helmet have a big dark black visor, the rest is also grey and the it sports two red round prongs, which points to backward.

The Keyblade also has transformed into a Keyblade Rider. It becomes two wings, the left is yellow and the right is white, where the wings begin, there are blue gems. Also appears two gloves the left is light blue and the right is light yellow, the two have blue gems at the middle of the palm.

Then the Keyblade Rider fits into the Keyblade Armor and open a path to the Lanes Between and flies into it.

Everyone that was watching the scene just dropped their mouth and exclaimed: "WHOAAAAHH!" and when the show is over, they turns to Yen Sid again.

-Now, Lea, you will go to the princesses' worlds and check how they are doing, remember, they have to be safe and sound, when you think it is okay to leave, right?

-Ok, Master Yen Sid. – He turns around but remembers that … - but how am I supposed to travel through the worlds if I can't use the Corridors of Darkeness safely again? Will I get armor and wings just like Young Ansem!? – Lea asks excitedly.

-No, Lea, you won't. – Upset he looks to the ground – I will give you my Star Shard. Now he had been fixed and you will go right to the world you are supposed to go when you want to.

-Fair enough. I'll get going. – He takes the Star Shard – Good luck to you! – And he turns into a light shade and fly to the sky.

Riku and Kairi shared looks. What would be their missions? Riku was a little afraid to go on mission with someone weaker than him. That would mean he would have to take care of her.

-Master Mickey, you will travel through Gummy Ship with Donald and Goofy, that are already out there to check some worlds to me. In these days, with Xehanort around, we have to make precautions, if they kill the Princesses Of Light … - He says with his eyes shut.

-What!? Kill the Princesses? – Riku sees that pronouncing that made Kairi tremble.

-Kairi, they want to be gods, they want to control all the worlds. You, princesses, are kinda, the protection of these worlds; you are in Xehanort's way. – Mickey explains.

-But master, are you sure sending Kairi, a princess into the dangerous is safe? – Riku scared by the idea of Kairi being killed asks.

-Riku, she has been training for a reason, to be prepared to whatever Xehanort is planning, she decided to take the risks, now, and all you have to do is believe in your friend.

Kairi takes Riku's hands and turns to him:

-I decided to come here. – So she make her hand fall to where they were but kept holding friendly Riku's hand, before turning to Yen Sid, she says – And you think, you and Sora will be having fun and just leave alone? – That makes Riku laugh and they turn to Yen Sid again, but their hands were together all the time.

Riku couldn't see her as anything else the same way she couldn't see him the way she sees Sora. They were friends afraid of what was waiting for them out there; they were searching for strength in the other.

-Kairi, just like Sora did in his first journey, you will travel to worlds new even to me. But your mission will be different and very similar to Mickey. As Xehanort can get his objective of kill the princesses, your mission will be search and even protect possible substitutes. Mickey already knows who search for. You do not, but you will know who are possible substitutes since you heart will react to them.

-And how will I travel through them? – Kairi asked seeming more confident, Riku observed.

-Before you go, you will dive to your own heart and contact Naminé, you will link your hearts and she will be able to open Corridor of Darkness to you, since you are a princess, the darkness will not get to your heart. So my dear, can you go to the room where I meditate?

-Sure, master – She opens the door and quickly runs to Riku and hugs him – Good luck, Riku. – So she runs again to where she should be.

-Mickey, you can go too. – The mouse nods to Yen Sid, makes a reverence and nods to Riku wishing him good luck and leaves the room. – Now, Riku, we have to talk.


	4. The Stronger One

Chapter IV: The Stronger One

-Riku, in times of war, we have to make alliances. And you will help us on it, but even accepting your darkness to fight Ansem on the Realm of Sleep, you have not accepted yourself, your past and your fears. You seem always prepared to give your own life to your friends, but you do not permit them to help you. I am not asking you to forget your past, the past and the memories are our identity, but I am asking you to not judge yourself for your choices, they are what guided you to here.

-So you are asking me to accept that I stole my friend's heart and that I fought my best friend?

-It is time to you fight your demons. And you were controlled when you did that. Now you must leave. I will first change the route of the train that goes to Twilight Town to go to Disney Town, there you will find a "friend" and your way of transport. Sora fought this friend, he said what this friend said to him and looked like to me that he wanted to see you.

Riku is a little afraid of that friend.

-I also know that you have your power of wield the Keyblade thanks to Terra, so you can return the favor, searching for him. After there you will go to Mirage Arena, I won't explain to you what it is because we are already without time, but you can read the reports of Terra's first mission. Then after you check the man that is there, you will go to Traverse Town and take Neku and the others to their home world, which Sora will wake it up in his journey. You also will go to Olympus Coliseum, where I sense a source of dead men between the alive. There will be a tournament, make sure you will enter on it.

-And why you are giving me specific objectives?

-Probably, you have the more dangerous mission. You are the master between them here. The stronger of them, but you are the one more lost. Fight your fears and end any member of the Organization XIII, but I know one of them that can be saved. He is the imitation of your dark side.

-You mean that the one I met at Monstro is really my Replica? And he joined the Organization XIII?

-Yes, but he is still searching for his identity and asked Master Xehanort only little piece of his heart to discover how it is. Understand please. I know you think this is not something Master Xehanort would do, but he is pacient and he loves this type of game, but slowly the piece of heart is getting bigger, so you need to save him before is too late. Once he asked for help and went to the Datascape and there he kind of fused with Data Riku.

-So, this is it, master? My mission is this?

-Yes, Master Riku, be careful!

-I will.

Riku goes outside, thinking about his previous adventures, about Sora in the Realm of Sleep, about Kairi contacting Naminé, about that mysterious boy that revealed to be Ansem and about Riku Replica. All that seemed to hurt. All seemed to make him stronger.

He had realized the pain helps to get the strength. He enters into the train. The strength I need to protect the ones that matter to me. He said that to Terra he received the power to wield the Keyblade.

So he takes Terra's Report to know what that man had to pass through because the evil Master Xehanort.

After some hours, minutes or seconds, he just didn't know because the time is different in all places.

He arrives at Disney Town. He had never been there. There were too many colors, but he spotted the Disney Castle a little from there, so he started to walk to the castle.

In his way, he spots some known friends of Sora. A duck wearing a blue and red vestment and a black hat; Scrooge Mc Duck and his grand-nephews; Huey, Dewey and Louie.

A horse wearing also red and blue clothes, he was Horace Horsecollar. A yellow dog called Pluto. Some brooms sweeping the ground in front of the castle entrance. And the garden, where there was a hidden door in the middle of the place, where Chip and Dale were working.

He opens a door almost hidden in the corner of the garden. He gets to a corridor where he sees a huge door and at the end of it a door that would lead him to the Library, but he fought it wouldn't be there where he would find what he was searching.

So he faces the huge door, but just don't know how to get there, then Daisy appears from the Library and not saying a word, raises her hand and opens little piece of the door, the real door.

They pass through the passage and get to an enormous hall where lies pillars at the both sides, a red carpet leading to a throne and behind the throne two statues, probably ancestors of Donald and Goofy.

The two walk to the throne and Daisy puts his hand under the arm of the throne and a hidden passage is open. There is a stair that they walk on it.

Walking through they get to a place where there are a glass ball with light running in it, it was the Cornerstone of Light. Around there were four doors. Three in the left side of the source of light. Between the first and second one could fit another door. In the first one was written in the top of it: Timeless River. At the second had been written: Country of The Musketeers and at the third one was written: Symphony of Sorcery; two worlds that Riku helped to unlock. And at the other side the lone door had been written in its top: 100 Acre Woods, the book where Sora have unlocked some inner powers was also there after Merlin returned t his home world.

Further Queen Minnie was looking to the Cornerstone of Light and at the opposite there was a giant portal.

-Your Majesty! – And Riku makes a reverence and the queen looks to him, raising her hand.

-Please, my dear, get up. There is no need to these formalities. I know who you are. You're the one who helped my loved king to walk in the dark paths of the dark realm.

-Queen Minnie, what are you doing here?

-I'm checking the Cornerstone, since Maleficent was able to make our protection weak for the second time I'm coming here every day to check if it's alright. – Putting again her eyes to the sight of the young man – But what brings you here, my dear warrior?

-With your permission, I have come to check that portal by Yen Sid's orders.

-So, dear, what are you waiting for? Go ahead, please!

-Thanks, Your Majesty. – And he goes to the portal not before of making a last reverence.

He jumps into it and he gets to a Badlands, an area of Keyblade Graveyard. He knew that because the reports of Terra.

Riku gave a look all around without moving his feet, but there is nothing to be seen except rocky place. So he turns his head to a little amount of flying sand in front of him.

The wind starts to run very fast to that direction, creating a sand storm. When the storm starts to decrease he spots something on the middle of it.

He summons his Keyblade and wait for the storm disappears, when it happens. He is able to take a good look of what was in the center of the sand storm. It was an armor on its knees, with helmet hidden by the handle of the Keyblade that was plunged in the earth.

Riku had seen a Keyblade very similar to that before. He held it to correct. He held when Terra made his Keyblade Inheritance Ceremony to him.

The teenager relaxes a little his muscles but not entirely, because if that was really Terra, he would at least react to the sight of his successor.

So the armor looks to the boy in front of him and this boy listen to a voice in his head…

Chapter V: Inner Conflict

"Ven… Aqua… Master Eraqus…" the Keyblade Armor gets to its feet. "You are not Xehanort. But you have a similar aura. But… yes… you are the one I chose."

-Terra!? – Riku asked.

"Terra? No, maybe a piece of him, I am his soul that was thrown out from his self" – The Enigmatic Soldier answers, it was a Lingering Will, when the soul of the Keyblade Wielder posses the Keyblade Armor, Yen Side taught him that. "You seem strong. I want to fight you and see how strong you got"

The Enigmatic Soldier raises its Keyblade, End of the Earth, to his battle stance.

-If Sora defeated you before, maybe I stand a chance. – And the boy raises his Keyblade too.

The armor throws its Keyblade to the air and jumps on it in time to get on the just transformed Keyblade Glider. And it rushes to Riku in all speed. Riku is barely able to evade all the rushes in time due to the high speed.

So the armor get on its feet again and jumps to the air again and performs a mid-air version of Sonic Blade and Riku guards the third attempt of his enemy to stab him and performs an Exo Spark, shocking the armor and uses a Spark Raid also shocking it and sending it flying far away.

Then the Lingering Will casts Drones of Light to shot light beams on Riku. The teenager use some Dark Shields to protect himself when the armor, using Critical Impact, the Command Style, and clashed with Way to Dawn. Riku trying to defend himself, fall into his knees and try to perform a weakened version of Mickey's spell Pearl, which is just able to make the Keyblade Armor return some steps back.

Then he roll backward and use the Dark Cannon, which the armor defends using his Keyblade transformed into a shield. So he rides again the Keyblade Glider rushing Riku, who is hit and the armor when does the laps and shots Blizzard spells to Riku. So the boy shots back Fire spells.

The Enigmatic Soldier dismisses its rider and pulls Riku with a Magnet spell, uses an Upper Slash, raising the Keyblade Master to the sky and madly swipes his Keyblade, now turned to a whip like weapon. Causing extreme damage to Riku.

So giving no time to Riku, the armor runs to him, and tries to slash him with an axe like weapon, but Riku jumps to air. But the armor probably was already expecting that and transforms its Keyblade into a cannon and shots a blast of light, which sends Riku flying.

Riku then casts a Cure spell on himself, trying to get ready to the next move of the enemy. When the armor invocates a ritual like state; lightnings comes down from the sky, the four edges of the ritual mark on the floor shined and the mark disappear, but now its helmet and gloves are shining red. So he disappears.

But quickly appears in front of Riku and performs a mid-air Arc Solum increased by his berserk state. It finishes with a vertical slash, hitting Riku and the floor causing a light blast to come from the floor and also hit Riku.

Not finished its combo. The armor splits its Keyblade into two blade and teleports. And appears behind the boy, slashing with the two blades, one vertically and the other horizontally and also with the slashes, summons shaped light forms. And it disappears again. In half of second, appears again in the same place summoning the same light shaped circles forms, one going down and the other up and Thunder and send Riku flying, cutting him with the two blades.

The Enigmatic Soldier gathers the blades back to an axe like weapon and teleports above him and dives many times with the shaped circles of light. It performs a slower but stronger form of Arc Solum and finishes with a Thunder Surge.

Then Riku is again thrown far away and he is really damaged. He has many wounds so he casts Cure and tries to use his inner darkness. The Enigmatic Soldier jumps in the air and with its Keyblade now transformed into a bow shots a Light Arrow Salvo which are coming to Riku. But he is able to active his Dark Impact, and uses a big dark hand and defends himself from the first salvo, but another is already coming so he uses Dark Volley and destroys the Light Arrows.

After that Riku performs a Sonic Shadow, knocking the armor out of the sky. Then he dives into the ground and goes under it and erupts from it attacking with his dark hand, finishing his Command Style.

But now he knows that the only way to get out there alive it's using his dark powers so he charges again and thinking about the Drive Forms of Sora. He summons his Dark Mode, he used while possessed by Ansem and in the Castle Oblivion.

Now prepared to all, he makes his battle stance and waits. Then the armor appears and the clash and returns some steps, but the armor jumps to air and stabs the floor with his rod like weapon and summons a kind of a ritual again and make Riku unable to casts magic with two little things that now float around it.

The Riku runs to it and clash again now much faster and stronger. He performs his Dark Break on the Keyblade Armor and jumps back to the air and shots two Dark Firaga in the things that were enabling him to cast magic.

So the Enigmatic Soldier uses an ability that with three light spheres floating around the enemy, prison Riku and drain his life. Then Riku concentrates and tries to channel all his power and invocate his Dark Aura, which breaks his prison and he disappears and performs his Shotlock on the armor.

After that the two get on their feet and runs to each other and in the last moment the Enigmatic Soldier performs a Zantetsuken on Riku, who is damaged but he is able to turn to his enemy in time to see it performing a Quake spell and uses his Keyblade to perform a Dark Raid and interrupt the attack. Then he cuts the air sending dark cutting circle of energy on his enemy that is now mid-air.

The Riku teleports behind the armor and jumps above it and uses his finisher Helm Split, diving on it two times and in the third slashing vertically the enemy and hit the floor summoning many geysers of dark energy.

So the armor just walks to the place it was resting before the battle and mentally says:

"You convinced me. You are able to control your darkness, but are also able to use your inner light perfectly. You proved me that you're worth of it. Come here. Walk to me." So Riku walks until be facing the armor. "You are my successor. You will do things that I couldn't. Now take me. Take this armor and use it like it is yours. Raise your hand"

And Riku does it. And the armor shines and disappears. In the same time a piece of armor appears on his shoulder and instantly shines too and also Riku's body does.

When the light stops shining he is wearing the Keyblade Armor of Terra and is holding his Keyblade, End of the Earth.

Then Riku dismisses the armor and the Keyblade and summons his own Keyblade but it isn't his Way to Dawn anymore. It's a different weapon but almost identical of his Keyblade but with different colors. So he figures out. His Keyblade finally hit his final form and evolved to the maximum.

Now his Keyblade had a gold handle with a dark bat wing in the left slide and a white angel wing in the right side. His chain was half gold and half black. It token was a gold crown with a white wing and a black wing. In the beginning of the middle part had a white wing pointing to the opposite side. Then the middle was gold with dark wing coming from the rear and almost at the teeth the dark wing become a white wing in the rear and in the side of the teeth the gold part ends and becomes a black and sharper.

The Keyblade represented his power over the darkness and the light. So he decides to call the Keyblade by the name of Inner Conflict. That transformation showed him that he was able to do what Master Yen Side wanted. He accepted his dark side without forgetting his good side.

So he decides to keep his mission on. He walks back through the portal he came from and got to the room where the Cornerstone Of Light resides and he keeps his way to the courtyard and there he summons back the Keyblade Armor and the Keyblade of Terra and uses it to summon a portal to the Lanes Between that once Master Eraqus "created" as a path.

He throws Terra's Keyblade to the air transforming it to Keyblade Glider that looked like a jet-ski. Summons his own Keyblade due to the fact that someone could attack him, jumps on the Keyblade Glider and rides through the portal.

_**From here you'll be gonna see much of his Dark Mode and Terra's Keyblade Armor. Sorry if Riku's chapter are to longer and I don't know why they always end up like this but hope you liked anyway.**_


	5. Vanitas

Chapter VI: Vanitas

Riku puts his feet on the floor again. She sees no one so he puts himself on the way to the corridors. When he gets to the throne room, he can't believe, there are many creatures. Not Heartlees nor Nobodies, there are Dream Eaters and other dark creatures with face that looked like they were angry, sad or anything like that.

He saw Minnie casting her Faith spell. Daisy was also throwing some light magic with a staff. The brooms were trying to help. Scrooge and his grandnephews were throwing ice on the creatures. Pluto was being pursued by a Necho Cat. Daisy was trying to protect the queen was also fighting.

So something happen. All stops. Time is frozen and Riku's vision all turns negative and he feels a presence, behind him. He turns around and sees a boy on a white coat just like Organization XIII. So four others come from him like ghost. All of them put their hands on their hood and low down.

The one who gave origin for the others is identical to Sora but with black hair and gold eyes. In the left there were a girl just Kairi but with darker red hair, golden eyes and black makeup around her eyes and lips and at her side a boy just like Roxas but with also golden eyes.

At the right side there were a boy, also like Roxas but with white hair covering his now golden eyes and a girl, with short hair that was exactly like Kairi with 14 years old but looking like 16 years just like her now, her hair was red just like her too. That made Riku chill.

So they all laugh at the same time. That was a mad melody, so the boy on the middle raises his hand and all turns normal. Riku is in the middle of the battle facing the middle boy now wearing the traditional black coat. The boy summons a Keyblade.

-How's this? I think I was able to do some mess on this castle, wasn't I?

-Who are you?! You're the guilt of this chaos! You'll pay for that!

-I don't think so… Maybe you could blame your friend Sora for this. Oh, and the name's Vanitas.

-Sora, have you seen him!? Is he okay?

-Better than ever… But that doesn't matter. I'll crush you here and this castle with you.

-If you say so. Let me see what you got! – Riku touches his shoulder and he shines, in the next moment is already covered by a Keyblade Armor and is holding End of the Earth… The Keyblade Master is able to see his enemy a little shocked by that.

-My turn now, Keyblade Master! – He is covered by darkness and then by a dark organic armor – Let me see what YOU got!

They clash Keyblades. Vanitas casts some Fire spells that Riku counters with Dark Firaga. So the black haired boy dives into the floor and erupts right on Riku. He casts some Fire and Dark Thundaga spells on him who is hit by half of them. The boy wearing black spins again midair and comes down hitting the floor and casting Blizzaga.

Riku barely evades and hit the floor performing Meteor on the target successfully. So Vanitas jumps backwards and casts a Dark Link. Riku summons his Inner Conflict on his left hand and performs a Zantetsuken on him, interrupting the attack.

So he prepares for his Eternal Session, using Dark Cannon, Master Heart, XIII Swords and Last Saber. So he throws his keys around Vanitas one casting light and the other darkness around themselves. So he finally performs his All's Ends.

The last move of Riku kills some Dream Eaters and Unverseds and injures Vanitas badly. So the evil boy casts Cura on himself and calls something from the portal to Keyblade Graveyard. Thousand Keyblades erupt from there and hit many dark creatures. The inhabitants of the castle run to the corridor.

So Vanitas hits an Upper Slash on Riku who is sent to the air and the Keyblades start to hit him so someone casts a Protega around him. All the Keyblades fall and he gets to the floor. Another boy completely covered by the well known black coat is facing Vanitas.

-YOU TRAITOR! Which side are you on? - Vanitas disappears on a Dark Corridor and also does the new boy without a word.

Riku just stands without any idea of what to do then. "Who was the boy that saved me? I have I know him and that girl with Vanitas? And why does he look just like Sora? Keep on Riku! The castle is in danger.

How Vanitas was able to summon all those Dream Eaters, he didn't know but the corridor was crowded by them and the physical manifestation of his emotions.

When the fight is over, they all join to the library. All were on a respectful stance in front of Minnie. Riku already in his original attire.

-I'm really grateful for the help of you but we now have to protect the city and fix the destruction on the castle.

-What can I do to help, Your Majesty!?

-Keep on your journey I can say we don't need you here. But I offer to you this charm. They were badly injured by the attack on the castle but the Cornerstone of Light to keep them from being killed sealed them on this charm to completely heal. They can be of a big help for your journey.

-Okay, Your Majesty. Thank you for this help and if you need I'll be back on an instant – He makes a reverence and leaves on to the Lanes Between.


End file.
